~~~
The exhaustion in her eyes was impossible to hide, so Su Jinglan tactfully left the master bedroom, letting Ning Jiuwei get some early rest.
The bedroom door clicked shut, plunging the entire house into silence. Howling night winds battered the glass windows, while the hallway ceiling light cast its glow over the dark living room. Su Jinglan turned her back to the light and stepped into the shadows.
She picked up the phone that had fallen onto the sofa. The screen flickered to life at her touch before quickly returning to the lock screen. Glancing back across the living room, Su Jinglan’s lips curved upward, her gaze steady yet tender.
In the master bedroom just one wall away, Ning Jiuwei looked utterly drained. She gripped the door handle, reluctant to let go.
The chill of the metal sapped the warmth from her body. Ning Jiuwei felt herself growing colder, the icy sensation spreading from her chest to her limbs. Finally, she released her hold, sank onto the sofa, draped a coral fleece blanket over her legs, and switched on the air conditioner.
She flicked off the bright ceiling lights one by one. The floor lamp’s glow extended only as far as the sofa. As the warm air circulated, the room temperature gradually rose, but Ning Jiuwei felt no urge to sleep. She simply sat there on the sofa.
The house was excellently soundproofed, yet Ning Jiuwei could have sworn she heard footsteps—drawing nearer from a distance, pausing outside her bedroom door, then slowly fading away.
Her eyes fixed on the door. She tossed aside the blanket and climbed into bed.
She hadn’t been able to sleep at Su Jinglan’s home, and now, back in her own with Su Jinglan right next door, restlessness kept sleep at bay. Ning Jiuwei tossed and turned. The moment she closed her eyes, her mind filled with thoughts of Su Jinglan.
At last, she drifted off—only to be roused by a gentle knock at the door.
Too groggy to open her eyes, Ning Jiuwei’s muddled brain couldn’t tell reality from dream. She strained to listen but heard no further sound, so she burrowed back under the covers.
The door cracked open, and morning light slipped into the curtained room. Su Jinglan’s gaze fell on the lump beneath the bedding, and she smiled.
“Designer Ning.” Su Jinglan kept her voice soft and polite. “May I come in?”
The mature timbre of the woman’s voice snapped Ning Jiuwei’s hazy mind awake. She blinked in a daze for two seconds before lifting her head toward the sound.
Noticing the movement, Su Jinglan walked over to her.
“Designer Ning, you look so cute when you’re sleeping.” Su Jinglan leaned in close, showing not the slightest guilt for entering someone else’s bedroom without permission.
Ning Jiuwei was grateful for her habit of never sleeping in the nude. Composed in Su Jinglan’s presence, she sat up against the headboard. “President Su, what brings you into my room so early?”
Su Jinglan’s eyes flicked downward, and she smiled. “Your pajama top’s come open.”
Ning Jiuwei tugged her pajamas closed. Straightening up, Su Jinglan answered, “I came to grab something. My toiletries are in your master bathroom.”
She had intended to take them out to use elsewhere, but given the circumstances, Ning Jiuwei seemed to be awake too—they could freshen up together.
Ning Jiuwei remained in bed. “Help yourself, President Su. I’m going to sleep a little longer.”
Her forcibly roused mind now throbbed dully, the pain radiating to her dry, gritty eyes. There was no way she could get up and go to work like this.
In no rush to leave, Su Jinglan checked her watch. “What time are you heading to the company, Designer Ning?”
“Go on ahead to the company, President Su. Don’t wait for me.” Ning Jiuwei was struggling to hold it together, her temples pulsing.
Su Jinglan stepped into the bathroom to retrieve her toiletries. As she passed the bed, she glanced over—Ning Jiuwei hadn’t moved, sitting quietly and watching her.
Ning Jiuwei stared until Su Jinglan had gone, then lay back down.
She slept until past ten, waking refreshed and free of fatigue. Ning Jiuwei pulled back the curtains and gazed out into the distance, shaking off the lingering lethargy of sleep.
Still in her pajamas, she stepped out of the bedroom—and looked up to see the president, who ought to have been at the company by now, sitting bolt upright on her sofa like a steadfast pine, a book in hand.
Bright sunlight flooded the living room. Bathed in its glow, Su Jinglan smiled warmly at her. “Morning, Designer Ning. My phone died, so I couldn’t reach my assistant. I had no choice but to wait here for you.”
She closed the book and stood. “I got bored just sitting, so I grabbed one from the bookshelf.”
The living room bookshelf served both practical and decorative purposes, lined with books of all sorts. Su Jinglan had selected one that caught her interest and read it while waiting for Ning Jiuwei.
Su Jinglan’s explanation was flawless, leaving Ning Jiuwei unable to detect any hidden intent to wait specifically for her. She fetched a charger for Su Jinglan, then retreated to the bedroom in her pajamas.
Phones charged quickly these days—a full battery in half an hour. Ning Jiuwei checked the time, planning to head out once it was done.
Assistant Tan had messaged her first thing that morning: a client would be arriving at the company around two in the afternoon. In the walk-in closet, Ning Jiuwei selected an olive-green open-neck blouse, pairing it with a choker necklace—perfect for discussing custom collaborations.
Clients coming to the company for business wouldn’t be like Shen Lanyan, the type to get handsy.
The time was about right. Ning Jiuwei spritzed a cool, neutral perfume on the inside of her wrist, then opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom.
The person who had been on the living room sofa was gone. Ning Jiuwei breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As she rounded the corner, she suddenly spotted a figure on the balcony.
The balcony door stood half-open. Hearing the footsteps, Su Jinglan turned around. Ning Jiuwei masked her emotions and asked calmly, “President Su, aren’t you heading to the company yet?”
“I’m waiting for you.” In front of Ning Jiuwei, Su Jinglan maintained her gentle smile. “We’re going the same way. Designer Ning, you can just ride with me to the company—no need to call a separate cab.”
Ning Jiuwei always parked her car at the company, and Su Jinglan knew it. Thanks to her tactful reminder, Ning Jiuwei remembered as well.
It felt like stepping into a trap meticulously laid by a hunter, but on second thought, it was just a natural progression of events. Ning Jiuwei paused for half a second and went along with Su Jinglan’s suggestion. “Then thank you, President Su.”
The car was already waiting downstairs—the familiar Mercedes-Benz business van. It smoothly carried Su Jinglan and Ning Jiuwei toward the company.
Ning Jiuwei always parked in the lot and walked into the office building, but Su Jinglan’s driver pulled right up to the entrance, just a few steps from the door.
The two women stepped out of the car and rode the elevator up together, parting ways only at their office doors.
Ning Jiuwei hadn’t spoken to Su Jinglan the entire trip. Once inside her office, she stole a quick glance across the hall.
Su Jinglan, who had entered the office opposite, was staring down at her phone, tapping the screen with two fingers as she headed to her desk.
She was sending messages the moment she arrived at the company.
Ning Jiuwei pulled out her own phone and messaged Assistant Tan.
At two in the afternoon, the client arrived right on time. Assistant Tan handled reception and invited her to wait in the reception room.
“Don’t you recognize me?” Wen Wanyuan had her hair pulled up into a cute topknot bun and wore a cherry blossom pink long skirt. She beamed at Assistant Tan. “We met at the banquet—Jiuwei’s little assistant.”
Tan Yushu, addressed as the little assistant: “!!!”
Wasn’t this the new designer DM had just signed? How could she be the client?
“Don’t just stand there dumbfounded, little assistant. Take me to Jiuwei’s office.” It was Wen Wanyuan’s first time there, and she wasn’t familiar with the Design Division’s layout. The front desk receptionist had escorted her up to the sixth floor and handed her off to Assistant Tan, who was waiting outside the elevator.
Protocol dictated that clients shouldn’t be brought straight to a designer’s office, to prevent any future issues if they barged in and disturbed the designer.
Assistant Tan hesitated for a moment but, given how well she seemed to know Designer Ning, led Wen Wanyuan to the office anyway.
As they passed the open-plan office, heads popped up from several workstations to stare at them. Wen Wanyuan, single-mindedly focused on seeing Ning Jiuwei, ignored the curious onlookers and memorized the route along the way.
“We’re here. This is Designer Ning’s office.”
Through the transparent glass, they could see Ning Jiuwei bent over her work at the desk. Assistant Tan stepped forward to knock, but Wen Wanyuan grabbed her arm and opened the door herself.
As expected of an old friend—no need to knock.
“What are you doing here?” Ning Jiuwei checked the time. “The two o’clock client is you?”
“Thanks, little assistant.” Wen Wanyuan waved goodbye to Assistant Tan, stepped inside alone, and locked the door behind her.
“Bet you didn’t see this coming, Ah Mu.” Wen Wanyuan brimmed with fiery enthusiasm as she lunged forward to hug Ning Jiuwei.
This time, Ning Jiuwei didn’t let her get close. She pushed Wen Wanyuan away, gestured for her to sit on the sofa, and switched to professional mode. “What would Miss Wen like custom-designed?”
“What Miss Wen? Come on.” Wen Wanyuan draped herself over the back of the sofa, shaking with laughter. “You’ve been dodging my invitations to meet forever, so I had to pull this stunt to see you. Don’t bother with water—I’m not thirsty.”
The tea station cabinet held disposable paper cups emblazoned with the Hengsu logo, which hardly ever got used. Ning Jiuwei poured a cup of plain hot water and settled onto the sofa diagonally across from her. “Miss Wen is my client now. Pouring you a cup of water is the least I can do.”
The steaming water was impossible to sip. Wen Wanyuan glanced at it, then scooted over to sit right next to Ning Jiuwei, pressing close. “Ah Mu, does your office have any cameras or listening devices?”
“No.” Ning Jiuwei scooted away. “Miss Wen, just say what you came to say.”
“Then I’ll be blunt.” Wen Wanyuan dropped her playful act, sat up straight, and looked Ning Jiuwei in the eye. “I want you to leave HS and start a personal studio with me.”
“Didn’t you just join DM?”
“Temporarily.” Wen Wanyuan had a clear career plan and didn’t hide it from Ning Jiuwei. “What I really want in the end is to build my own company.”
“Then you’ve got the wrong person.” Ning Jiuwei held out the cup of water—a polite way to show her the door. “I’m not a reliable partner, and I don’t have the skills to help you.”
Wen Wanyuan fetched a cup of hot water and clasped Ning Jiuwei’s hand. Her phoenix eyes locked onto Ning Jiuwei’s, as if she were determined to bare her heart and soul. “How are you not? You have the talent and experience—nothing comes hard to you. Look at me: I’ve been studying design for over a decade, sketching day and night. But you? As soon as you decide to do something, you excel at it. You didn’t even graduate with a design degree, and yet here you are as HS’s Chief Designer.”
“Wanyuan.” Ning Jiuwei remained unmoved and cut her off at the right moment. “Don’t say things like that here.”
“Okay, I won’t.” Wen Wanyuan had already steeled herself for rejection—if not this time, then the next. She slipped back into her playful mode, kneeling on the sofa and tugging at Ning Jiuwei’s arm. “You can at least have dinner with me tonight, right, Sister Ning?”
Wen Wanyuan unleashed a full barrage of coquettish charm and cuteness, acting every bit like Ning Jiuwei’s little girlfriend.
Su Jinglan, descending from the top floor, caught sight of the scene inside. Her face turned icy cold, as if she were ready to murder someone.
Oblivious, her back to the corridor’s glass walls, Wen Wanyuan hooked her finger around Ning Jiuwei’s. “I’ll stick around here with you this afternoon. I’m not going anywhere—I’ll wait for you to get off work.”
Ning Jiuwei withdrew her hand, unable to meet the eyes of the person in the corridor. “Miss Wen, I’ll have Assistant Tan escort you out.”
She rose from the sofa. Wen Wanyuan transformed into a clingy little imp, hopping up after her and reaching to drape her arms around Ning Jiuwei’s neck. Ning Jiuwei caught the mischievous hands and gestured toward the door. “Miss Wen, please.”
Wen Wanyuan finally spotted the person in the corridor and met that cold, piercing gaze. Puzzled, she tilted her head. “Huh? Isn’t that your colleague? Why’s she staring at us like that?”
Ning Jiuwei had no intention of explaining. She opened the door to usher her out. “Miss Wen, I won’t see you off. Take care.”
“Designer Wen, are you here at our company to poach talent?” Su Jinglan didn’t head into her own office. Instead, she sauntered over to the pair, radiating an intimidating pressure.
Certain words could be tossed around recklessly behind closed doors, but out in the open, she had to mind Ning Jiuwei’s reputation and career. Wen Wanyuan dropped the arm-hooking and shoulder-clinging from earlier, flashing a sweet smile at Ning Jiuwei’s colleague as she explained, “I’m here as a client today, asking Designer Ning to design a pair of matching rings for me.”
“So you’re a client.” Su Jinglan’s expression carried a chill, her words sharp as a blade. “I hope Miss Wen won’t use her status as a client to lay hands on my designer.”
“Your designer?” Wen Wanyuan burst out laughing. She turned to Ning Jiuwei. “I had no idea you had such a possessive colleague. Since when did you become hers?”
“She’s not my colleague.” Ning Jiuwei had no choice but to introduce Su Jinglan. “She’s my boss, the President of the Design Division.”
~~~
